


Insomnia

by MetaphoricalPants



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Asexual Jughead, Bi Archie, Emotional, Flashbacks, Insomnia, Intense, Jarchie - Freeform, Love Confessions, M/M, Plot Twists, Regret, Suspense, sleeping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-02 13:29:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10219379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetaphoricalPants/pseuds/MetaphoricalPants
Summary: Sleep comes in many different forms..--A chocolate milkshake with two straws, seated on the same side of the booth, the bag on the other and the laptop resting on Jug's side of the table with the food aimed towards the middle of the table so fries were fair game as he typed. Archie wouldn't want it any other way.





	1. Sleeping Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in time with my other Jarchie fic (Like Phases of the Moon) but both act as stand alone pieces and do not necessarily need to be read together. 
> 
> Dedicated to my Archiekinz. Happy birthday, dude. You know who you are.

_And some nights there was no sleep at all..._

\--

_It was late, a little after ten actually, but Pop's was open twenty-four hours a day and Jughead had wanted to finish the latest chapter of his novel. Archie didn't mind as he grabbed Jughead's messenger bag for him and he slipped out of the booth, their usually usual booth. A sweet gesture, he thought with a small smile as he waited for his boyfriend to return from the bathroom.This was normal for them, even sharing fries, which before had been viewed as a sin by Jughead, had become normal for them. A chocolate milkshake with two straws, seated on the same side of the booth, the bag on the other and the laptop resting on Jug's side of the table with the food aimed towards the middle of the table so fries were fair game as he typed. Archie wouldn't want it any other way._

_Jughead returned after a few moments, wiping his hands on his jacket as he looked at him. Archie grinned, instantly finding himself lost in his boyfriend's eyes. Two clear pools are beautiful green-blue that no else seemed to notice, but he seemed to be constantly hypnotized by._

_He wondered if Jughead ever felt this way about him.. Jughead was a bit of a hard ass at times, and not ashamed to be. He internalized a lot of his emotions, remaining guarded even around Archie, his friend since childhood. His best friend. His boyfriend._

_He knew the feelings were mutual even if they weren't expressed the way he expressed them. He knew simply sharing food was a pretty big display of affection coming from Juggie. And he certainly didn't mind. Sometimes love didn't come in sickly sweet confessions but in small looks and a nudge of the remaining fries on his plate towards Archie. He always felt like a million bucks whenever he could see how Juggie was feeling. It was like looking into Jughead's mind for a moment to be able to see how he really felt.._

_"Arch, you good?" Jughead cleared his throat, a light red tint grazing his pale cheeks._

_Archie grinned, "I'm great, Ready to go?" He grabbed his boyfriend's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as he moved his bag up onto his shoulder; he'd carry it for him._ _Jughead nodded with a half smile. Arch had the nastiest habit of getting lost just looking at Jughead these days. A cheesy grin on his face as he thought about every little detail he loved, from his hat to his ratty tennis shoes. And deep down, Jughead didn't mind it when Archie look at him like he was the only person in the room. The only one that mattered..._

_Archie gently pulled him outside, they still had a little while before his dad would be there to pick them up and there really wasn't anyone around.. Jughead had been a little weird about PDA at first, and he was warming up to it now, but it was still a little too much for him. Hand holding and pecks on the cheek were fair game, but anything more was to be shared when they were completely alone. Although, tonight Jughead hadn't complained or brushed his hand off when it found its way onto his knee._

_Archie looked at his boyfriend who was looking up at the sky. The stars seemed brighter that night, not even the neon lights from the Pop's sign could drown out their beauty. And the moon hung high in the sky, a silent observer, ever present, ever watching, as it seemed to further light up the sky, framed by flecks of stars._

_They were beautiful but he couldn't help it. His eyes were more drawn towards Jughead. He looked at him, memorizing every little feature. The small beauty marks on his face. The little curl of black hair that hung out of his signature hat. The way it seemed to perfectly suit him. His suspenders that were never on, always hanging down. The way his clothing was expertly layered. It was the little things that he had fallen in love with. Every small detail of Jughead. Everything that really made him Jughead._

_He couldn't believe he'd been lucky enough to fall in love with his best friend. The one person who truly understood him. The one person who had loved him through it all... Even when he'd been with Ms. Grundy.. Jughead had been more concerned about his well being and angry that Grundy had been using him, instead of really mad at him... At least that's what he thought. He knew how to get under his skin just as Jughead knew exactly which words would sting, poisoning his thoughts with regret. Each moment he had left him, moving through life unknowing of the pain his friend felt... No longer._

_As a pair, they work. To him they do because they're so close. Because they're best friends. Without Archie there wouldn't be Jug and without Jug there wouldn't be Archie. They were Archie and Jug. No separation. Not anymore. Never again. Archie would never leave him again._

_Archie looked at Jughead, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, silently noting in his head that his hand felt clammy all of a sudden. Archie let go of his hand and pressed the back of it to Jughead's cheek and then his forehead. "You okay?" He wasn't warm. He was eerily cold, and cheeks felt equally damp. As if he'd been crying... He noted. But why?_

_Concern and dread suddenly began to fester in the pit of his stomach, had his Jughead been crying? Was that why he'd snuck off to the bathroom?  It had taken quite a while... But maybe his sense of time was just off because he hated it when Jughead left his side.. He hadn't been paying attention to the clock and he certainly wasn't counting how long he was gone._

_"Jughead?" He looked at him, realizing that his boyfriend had stopped responding. "you okay?" He looked at him, eyes wide. "Jug..?" No response..._  

_\--_

"Arch... Archie, you gotta wake up.. You just gotta..." Jughead grasped Archie's hand in both of his, head bowed as he cried softly, managing to get his and his love's hands damp as his emotions poured freely from his eyes. The hospital room door opened and Jughead jumped, quickly wiping his eyes on his jacket sleeve. He turned to see Fred Andrews, Archie's father holding two coffees as he entered the room, a soft smile on his face. He certanily didn't want to cry in front of him. If anything, Fred was the one who was supposed to be a wreck. 

"How's he doing?" Mr. Andrews asked holding a coffee out to Jughead. He meant well, he knew he meant well...

"Thank you, Mr. Andrews.." Jughead spoke softly as he accepted the warm coffee from his boyfriend's father. It was from the hospital cafeteria and it probably wasn't great, but he really appreciated the gesture.

"He's doing okay. Still hanging in there.." Jughead gave a small (almost) forced smile. What was he supposed to say? 'Your son is in a coma, but yeah. He's doing just grand.' 

Fred Andrews nodded, "I'll be back in the morning, keep an eye on him for me?"  Jughead nodded and Mr. Andrews left, leaving Jughead alone with Archie again. He felt bad for him. The man's son was in a comma and he had a company to run. Work in the morning... Jughead had school, sure, but he refused to go until he would be able to see Archie's smiling face in the halls and in class. At least for now... He didn't want to even think about his other option if... 

Okay? Did he really just say Archie was okay? He was in a fucking coma, how could he be okay? His heart was beating.. Maybe that was enough.. 

Jughead looked at his boyfriend as his emotions gnawed at him from the inside. He wanted to play a brave face in front of Archie's father, but when he was alone was when he'd allow himself to really break down. Every small argument they'd ever had become so painfully evident to him. Petty annoyances and obscene grudges held for ridiculous amounts of time. The times Archie had been so upset he'd slept on the floor just to give Jughead his space.. 

_"What the fuck, Arch!?"_

_"Juggie...I'm sorry, it just..."_

_"No... No, it didn't 'just', Archie. You let it happen. You let her kiss you."_

_"I'm sorry, Jughead..."  Archie was silently resigned, "I'll give you space.."  He took the blanket off the chair in the corner and a pillow from his side of the bed before making himself a little spot on the floor and settling in. "Goodnight, Jug..."_

He remembered that sad broken look in Archie's eyes that just ate him up inside, even just the thought causing his stomach to do back flips. He remembered how restless Archie was that night. Tossing and turning. Jughead didn't sleep at all that night. He sat at the edge of the bed, watching Archie (in a totally no creepy caring way). Fixing the blanket anytime Archie had managed to kick it off of himself before the cold began to set in. The last thing he needed was to get sick because Jughead practically made him sleep on the floor.. God, he felt sick. 

A list of regrets a mile long and each one a hot knife searing emotionally bruised and beaten skin. A permanent memory of the emotions never shown and the feelings never expressed. A memorandum of atrocities alphabetized and then put in order of the severity to be read in monotonous tone in his mind for years to come. 

Archie looked almost serene, smiling in his comatose state. Almost as if he was dreaming.. And if he was, it was about Jughead. His left eye was bruised, the tender skin of his forehead above it was stitched up, and there was a small bruise on his jawline on the right side. And yet, Archie Andrews still seemed so happy. He still looked handsome as ever. Even in a coma he had a smile that could hold a room. A smile that Jughead could look at for ages but one he hadn't ever taken the time to openly compliment..

If Archie would just wake up Jughead would let him know.. He would make sure he knew he loved him and everything about him. Here he was, sitting in a hospital beside his best friend, his boyfriend no less, who may never wake up again. The writer in him wanted to liken this entire situation to sleeping beauty. There his darling Archie was, a light in the dark shit hole of his life and the dark town they lived in. An underappreciated handsome boy with real talent and a good heart. Jughead would give anything to be able to shower him with compliments. If he woke up, he'd never let Archie live his good qualities down. 

He stood up, pacing around the hospital room with his head in his hands. He had to think about it at some point. His boyfriend may never wake up again. Archie Andrews could cease to exist at any moment and the world would simply continue spinning. But to him, it was earth shattering. It was the end all be all and it was something he'd never been forced to think of before. This was a living nightmare to him, a dream that he wished he could wake up from but it wasn't a dream at all... He looked back at Archie, standing still. He hadn't realized that he had been crying but quickly wiped his eyes. He didn't want someone to see him... But he knew deep down that it was too late and painfully obvious, his eyes were puffy and cheeks tear stained...

He looked away, rubbing his face before standing up. He walked to the window, placing his hands on either side as he glanced up at the stars. The beautiful full moon that shown through the window... Everything made him think of Archie... The night at Pop's when they watched the stars while waiting for Mr. Andrews to pick them up... He'd give anything to go back to that.. To hear him say.. 

_"Juggie...?_


	2. Rude Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the resolution we get, is not always the one we want.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter includes mildly graphic description of injury causing events.
> 
> Enjoy!

_"Juggie...?"_

\--

Jughead spun quickly, having heard his name clear as day... Could it be? 

"I didn't mean to startle you." Betty Copper said softly as she walked into the room, a card and a small bouquet of flowers in one hand and a small bag from Pop's in the other. Jughead could smell the fries from half way across the room, but he was too sick to even think about eating right now. "Brought you something." She held up the bag, smiling sadly. 

"Word travels fast, huh?" He looked at Archie, rubbing his face. He was stupid to have thought it could've been him.. The doctor said it could be days.. Weeks.. A month, even.. But anything more than that was a stretch... "You didn't have to." 

"It was on the news, Juggie..." She set the flowers and card by the bed on the small table, walking over and placing a hand on Jughead's shoulder. "You need to eat.. Mr. Andrews said you haven't left his side since he was brought here.."

"Rode in the ambulance and everything.." Jughead replied with a nod. "I had to make sure he was okay, Bets.. And he wasn't. He's not.. What if he..." 

"We're not going to think like that, okay? We can't think like that, Jug. It's not what Archie would want." 

"Betty, he can't want anything he's-" Betty cut him off by thrusting the bag of food at him, hitting him in the chest with it gently. "Eat." Jughead sighed exasperatedly and took the bag from her, making himself at home in the chair beside the bed once again. Betty sat beside him, hands folded neatly in her lap as she looked at Archie. 

Part of her wanted to cry and another part of her wanted to scream at Archie for being so careless. At Jughead to pay more attention.. And at  again Jughead for blaming himself... She just knew from the way he picked at his food, a bite of a fry here and another there, a nervous glance at the heart monitor and a forlorn look on his face as his gaze fell on Archie. 

How had they gotten here? Why had they ended up right here in this moment? Of the endless possibilities of events, what sequence had lead them here? Was it something was simple as order something different at Pop's? Maybe it was because Archie had stared far too much that night... Jughead couldn't stop recounting the exact events in his head. If Sheriff Keller walked through the hospital room door in that instant Jughead would've been able to recount ever single thing that happened that night again. A perfect witness, ever confused as to how any information he held would help. His statement would be just as exact as the first.

 

_A chocolate milkshake with two straws, seated on the same side of the booth, the bag on the other and the laptop resting on his side of the table with the food aimed towards the middle of the table so fries were fair game as he typed. Jughead wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  This was their new normal. Their current reality plucked from the endless seas of possibility, they had found themselves in Pop's Chock'Lit Shoppe after ten p.m. The incessant tapping of his laptop's keyboard as he worked on a new chapter seemed to fill the calm silence between them. Archie had always been amazed by Jughead's ability to write and Jughead had been very aware that the redhead was staring._

_The details of Jason Blossom's murder seemed to hang over the town like a massive black cloud that would only continue to darken as a storm brewed in the distance, each new fact a lightening strike threatening the town and it's sanity. The perfect subject matter for a novel._

_Jughead looked up at Archie, who was grinning like an idiot (as usual). A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and Jughead couldn't hold it back as he nudged Archie gently. 'Okay, one more paragraph..' He thought to himself. He knew Archie didn't mind it when he was concentrated like this, he thought the look of determination in his eyes was cute as he stared at the screen waiting for his thoughts to appear, an extension of his mind connecting to his fingertips to produce the most complex and eloquent piece of writing his mind had probably ever conjured._

_Jughead looked at Archie again, a hard and emotionless expression on his face as he posed the concept, "if I were to have killed Jason I would have used a dull knife, inefficient, sure, but the suffering is how you make them squirm." Inside he felt smug a ever, almost unable to hold in his laughter, but his poker face remained. He was just messing with him, really. He knew exactly how to make Archie's skin crawl._

_And the comment seemed to do just that, sending a chill down Archie's spine. He couldn't tell if Jughead was joking, but he hoped he was. Jughead simply snorted, smiling slightly. He must've looked like a mad man as he sipped his shake and then picked up a fry, aiming it at his boyfriend as he spoke, his eyes locked onto the redhead's. "You better watch out, Archie Andrews. You might just be next." He tossed the fry into his mother and raised his eyebrows suggestively, still masking his true emotions with a cold look devoid of any obvious feeling._

_That was when he realized he'd actually frightened Archie. Archie had never even considered what he had, and really neither had Jughead. Was there a serial killer on the lose in Riverdale? Why hadn't they killed again if there was? Had anyone thought of this? Maybe Jason was only the beginning of the end. For all of them For Riverdale._

 

Were those the words that sealed their fate? _Archie's fate?_   The memory left a bitter taste in his mouth and a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. 

 

_He gently nudged Archie and let out a lighthearted laugh after an uncomfortable few moments of silence had hung between them. "Kidding, Arch."  Archie smiled and laughed softly, "Over my head, Jug." He rested his hand on Jughead's knee, which made him smile. Archie was okay, he knew it was a joke. The gentle touch was sweet, secretive under the table and it didn't bother Jughead at all._

_"I'll be back. You dad should be on his way." Jughead shut down his laptop and stood, slipping it into his messenger bag which he left in the seat. He'd gone to the restroom for a quick moment. He stood in front of the sink, finding himself pleasantly alone. He looked at himself, straightening his hat as he examined the lack of sleep that hung in his eyes. He rinsed his hands before splashing cool water on his face. The pressure of the world seemed to press down on his shoulders more and more as the days passed, but when he was with Archie it was like nothing was wrong. He could be a normal sophomore. He had a family.. Archie was his family.. Hell, he'd even begun to consider Fred Andrews family with the way the man had been taking care of him for these past weeks._

_He walked back to the booth to see a smiling Archie holding his bag, a wide smile on his face. He was staring again and it was pretty damn obvious.. Obvious enough to make Jughead's cheeks tinge a light shade of red, "Arch, you good?"_

_Archie only grinned, "I'm great, ready to go?"  He grabbed his hand as Jughead nodded, a smile ever presently tugging at the corners of his lips. Jughead would never admit it but he loved it when Archie acted like he was the only person in the room. The only thing that mattered. He felt as though he had worth when he was with Archie, even if his worth was only to be his. Not that he was complaining. Archie pulled him outside and he couldn't help but look up at the sky. The stars were always so beautiful in this part of town. They were brighter tonight as the moon seemed to stare down at the them. Something loomed in the air... Something dangerous that he couldn't place his finger on..._

_The next few moments happened so quickly that it took time for him mind to really register what had happened._

_The screech of tires rung in his ears, the blinding brightness of headlights and obscene sound of metal hitting flesh... He had placed a hand over his eyes and turned away when the headlights had beamed into his eyes. And when he opened them again, his vision blurred, Archie was on the ground, blood dripping from his nose and mouth and a giant gash on his forehead. He blinked a few times, waves of nausea hitting him like a tsunami. Nothing could have ever prepared him for this moment._

_He rushed to Archie's side, grabbing his hand, "Arch... Archie.. Are you okay..? Speak to me, Arch... Arch, please.."  He spoke quickly as Archie's eyes fluttered slightly like they were trying to focus before they shut and he lost-..._

A long monotonous beep filled the air; the screech of a heart stopped beating. 

Jughead's heart rose into his throat as he forgot how to breathe. He and Betty both lunged for the bed as doctors and nurses flocked to the room in a frenzy to bring the crash cart in. Security had rushed in as well, one of the men pulled Betty from the room as Jughead kicked and screamed, tears freely pouring down his face.  _"God damn it, you can't do this! Put me down! That's my fucking boyfriend! Archie! Archie.. No.. No!"_ He went limp, reduced to sobs as he and Betty were let go of and blocked from entering the room. They stood side by side, looking from the outside in at their best friend, tears falling blurring their vision as they could only watch in shock and horror. 

The sound of a hospital gown tearing. The sound of the charging of the paddles... A wail of 'clear!' The shock.. No response.. Another charge up.. 'Clear!' Another shock... 

Sometimes the resolution you get, isn't always the one you want... Jughead and Betty embraced tightly as they sobbed, taking a moment to find comfort in each other.

They both loved him. Archie Andrews. The boy with a smile that could light up a room and the voice of an angel. 

And now they'd lost him... 

Archie had been his friend his childhood. His best friend. His first love. His boyfriend. His rescuer. His world. His everything... 

_Without Archie there wouldn't be Jug and without Jug there wouldn't be Archie. They were Archie and Jug. No separation. Not anymore. Never again. Archie would never leave him again._

**But he had.**

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> I have yet to decide if this will be a one shot or a multi-chapter story.  
> What do you guys think?


End file.
